Disney+ is working on a reboot of The Full Monty, but it will not include star Hugo Speer. According to a report by Deadline, Speer was fired from the show over allegations of “inappropriate conduct.” Speer reportedly denies these allegations and intends on challenging this decision through some formal channels.
The Full Monty is a 1997 British comedy film starring Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, William Snape, Steve Huison, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Barber and Speer. They play a group of former steel mill workers who begin working as male strippers when they find themselves out of work. In March of 2021, Disney announced that it is developing a limited series based on the movie, and it is apparently on that production that the allegations against Speer arose. A Disney+ representative told Deadline that the company was “made aware of allegations of inappropriate conduct by Hugo Speer on the set of a commissioned production.”
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“As is policy, an investigation was launched. Upon its completion, the decision was made to terminate his contract, with immediate effect,” they added. Speer’s spokesperson said that he denies the allegations that got him fired and that he will challenge them. Beyond that, no details of the case have been made public.
The Full Monty was lauded in its time for using comedy to tackle serious themes and touch on real-life issues including unemployment, father’s rights, heteronormativity and mental health. It won Best Film at the BAFTA Awards and European Film Awards, and was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars as well. Still, the movie was rated R, so many fans were confused as to why it would be revived on Disney+ in the first place.
Twentieth Century Fox owns the copyright to The Fully Monty, which is how Disney came to control intellectual property. Early reports indicated that a reboot or revival might air on FX or Hulu, as Disney+ is generally reserved for more family-friendly fare. However, recent changes and new features have allowed Disney to add more content to the streamer, including the Marvel Cinematic Universe series originally developed for Netflix.
Presumably, you’ll need to disable parental guides to watch The Fully Monty limited series whenever it goes up on Disney+. The series itself will reportedly follow the original characters as well as their children and grandchildren. It will take viewers back to the town of Sheffield and examine the harsh economic realities of life 25 years after the movie first premiered. The Fully Monty revival does not have a release date just yet.
